Huskies are back on top

Doug Feinberg

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, February 18, 2008

Connecticut was a clear choice as No. 1. Rutgers was more of a poll mystery.

The Huskies regained the top spot in The Associated Press women's basketball poll Monday after receiving 38 of the 50 first-place votes. Connecticut had been No. 1 for seven straight weeks before falling to No. 2 last week.

Tennessee, meanwhile, lost its grip on No. 1 and fell to No. 3 following a home loss to LSU on Thursday.

The Huskies romped over Georgetown and then-No. 18 Pittsburgh by an average margin of 29 points last week, with games this week against Marquette and St. John's.

North Carolina, with two first places votes, moved up to No. 2 after beating Virginia and Florida State.

Maryland and Rutgers remained fourth and fifth. Voters had mixed feelings on Rutgers after its last-second, controversial loss at Tennessee.

The Scarlet Knights received eight first-place votes -- the most they've ever received -- while other voters ranked them as low as eighth. The first-place votes were the first for Rutgers since Jan. 10, 2005.

"I think they are playing some of the best basketball over the last couple of weeks," said voter Mike Carmin of the (Indiana) Journal and Courier after putting Rutgers on top. "I'm counting the game at Tennessee as a win. Putting them No. 1 was not easy."

Bob Thomas of the Florida Times-Union saw it differently.

"You have to let outcomes be outcomes. We don't have do-overs," said Thomas, the only voter who kept Tennessee at No. 1. "I think Rutgers is one of seven teams that have a chance to be in the Final Four. I've fought with that core group of six or seven teams all season. It's really difficult to split differences."

Thomas moved Rutgers down one spot to seventh from last week's ballot, but it was more for LSU's win than the Scarlet Knights' loss.

"I rewarded LSU for knocking off the No. 1 team, more than punishing Rutgers," he said.

LSU, which received the other first place vote, moved up to No. 6. Stanford, California, Baylor and Old Dominion round out the top 10. It's the first time the Lady Monarchs are ranked in the top 10 since the final poll of the 1999 season, when they were fifth.

Oklahoma fell one spot to No. 11 after losing to Baylor 79-59 on Sunday. The Sooners were followed by Duke, West Virginia, Notre Dame and Kansas State.

Oklahoma State was 16th, followed by George Washington, Utah, UTEP, and Ohio State. The Miners made the biggest leap, moving up five spots.

Texas A&M, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Georgia, and Vanderbilt round out the poll. Pitt fell five spots to No. 23 after losses to West Virginia and Connecticut.

One week after seeing its string of 98 consecutive weeks in the poll end, Georgia re-entered the Top 25 after wins over Florida and Mississippi State.

Wyoming dropped out after a loss to TCU.

Monday's game

No. 20 Ohio State 72

Purdue 56

Marscilla Packer scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half to help No. 20 Ohio State beat Purdue.

Ohio State (19-6, 10-4 Big Ten) moved ahead of Purdue (14-12, 10-5) and trails first-place Iowa by a half-game.